2000

Houston-based independent Burlington Resources Inc. last week said it would reallocate some of its overseas capital into North American operations this year, with 7% more in U.S. operations and 5% more in Canada. The company also created an Office of the Chairman, which will include its current CEO along with the COO and CFO.

Responding to an April order requiring them to show how they have cleaned up their price-reporting practices, a number of energy companies last week told FERC they either have cut back their natural gas trading to bare-bones operations or completely pulled out of the business, fired and disciplined rogue traders, and bowed out of price reporting until reforms are enacted.

Unlike the sharp drop and subsequent recovery of natural gas storage stocks in the winter of 2000-2001, today’s low storage levels may be a continuing phenomenon, analyst Stephen Smith said, indicating “embedded tightness” in the system.

With a growing interest in changing the state’s energy landscape in the post-2000/2001 crisis, California lawmakers this week will further examine two separate and major proposals for establishing a new foundation for industry matters. Sacramento observers are unsure of the ultimate fate of the two proposals — one in the state Senate and the other in the lower house Assembly.

Sierra Pacific Resources and subsidiary Nevada Power filed a lawsuit Monday against El Paso, Sempra Energy and Dynegy, charging the companies and Enron conspired to restrict pipeline capacity and gas supplies and made false price reports in order to drive up prices. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas seeking $600 million in damages, alleges the companies engaged in restraint of trade, fraud, violation of Nevada’s RICO Act and civil conspiracy.

As it continues its efforts to exit the wholesale marketing arena, sell assets and restructure, Aquila Inc.’s CEO last week warned that the losses will continue through this year and into 2004 as the rebuilding utility repairs its damaged balance sheet.

FERC made no decision Wednesday on whether billions of dollars in long-term western wholesale power contracts negotiated in 2000 and early 2001 should be scrapped or altered because of market manipulation in the short-term or spot market. The Commission vaguely indicated that the contracts should be sent back to a settlement judge.

California’s energy infrastructure has sufficient upgrades to stave off any repeat of the 2000-2001 crisis through the next two to three years, but failure of federal and state regulatory policy to keep pace casts a lot of uncertainty over the structural advances, according to state energy official and a gas utility executive who spoke to an energy industry conference in San Francisco Friday.

The difference between wellhead prices and Henry Hub prices between August 1996 and December 2000 averaged 32 cents/Mcf, with Hub prices averaging 10.8% higher, according to a study by the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). However, the median value between the two of 24 cents/Mcf may be a better measure, EIA said.